Creator Spotlight: Rebecca-Jo Dunham

Meet Rebecca-Jo Dunham! Rebecca-Jo is a Toronto and New York City-based fashion creative. From modelling to running her brand — Small Town Boys — she lives and breathes fashion. Believing in the power of daily creativity, she embraces the importance of expressing herself through everyday activities like cooking or skincare. Keep reading to learn more about her career in and around the fashion industry!

We’d love to hear about the moment you first realized you wanted to pursue a creative career. What sparked that decision?

I’ve always used the arts to express myself and felt that I was happiest and most fulfilled when I was creating. I’ve always wanted to pursue a creative career. When I was a little girl, I loved singing and fantasized about being a pop star — luckily for everyone, I realized early on that my singing is best left for the shower! I actually completed an academic degree at university, and it was there that I realized I would never be fulfilled or happy if I wasn’t creating. I started modelling more seriously while I was at university and found the collaborative process much more fulfilling that most of my university coursework.

The creative process can be unpredictable. Could you walk us through your process, from the initial spark of inspiration to the final piece? Are there any rituals or habits you find essential?

My creative process is still somewhat of a mystery to me. I find inspiration in so many places. There’s nothing I find essential for finding inspiration, but I do believe that making art and creativity a part of your everyday life is the best practice. I strongly believe that all humans are meant to be creative, and the people I know who are happiest and thrive in life are those who express their creativity. It’s easy to think that creativity only refers to tangible art, like a painting, but it’s essential to think of creativity as anything you do. Cooking a meal is a creative practice. Doing my skincare is a creative practice for me. When you reframe how you think and feel about creativity, your mind opens up, and so does inspiration.

Tell us more about your fashion brand Small Town Boys, what inspired you to start this venture?

Small Town Boys is the brainchild of my best friend, Rashelle Campbell, and me. Rashelle is a multi-disciplinary artist who specializes in textiles and home goods. We met online, and a huge part of our friendship has been creating together. Originally, we planned to do a limited collaboration collection, but we had so many ideas and so much fun working together that we decided a single collaboration wouldn’t be enough and launched Small Town Boys. We’re both from small towns and have always loved the cultures and aesthetics of those places. We mixed that with our love for pop and internet culture to create STB.

When reflecting on your career, are there specific moments, works, or milestones that stand out as especially meaningful to you? What did those moments teach you about your evolution as an artist?

My career has shifted a lot over time, so I think within each “era” of it, there have been many exciting milestones and works I’m incredibly proud of. Through my modeling career, I learned how to collaborate and bring my vision into the creative direction of a job, making the work come alive through me. Being a part of so many brilliant people’s ideas and creativity taught me how to be a conduit for ideas and beauty. Creating content has pushed me to build worlds while challenging my own creative limitations, expanding what I thought content creation could be. Designing has taught me to slow down my creative process sometimes. Not all designs work, and not everything needs to be made and released quickly. It’s taught me that the process can be slow-paced, which leaves room for a more intentional kind of creativity. Design needs to be beautiful or interesting, but it also needs to be functional, especially when making ready-to-wear.

What advice would you give to young artists just starting out? Is there something you wish you had known when you began your own creative journey?

Just create. Try everything and keep trying everything. Just because you think you’ve found your medium doesn’t mean there aren’t other mediums or ways to challenge and express yourself. It will only make your art better to experience more of life.

Looking to the future, are there any new projects, themes, or collaborations that you’re particularly excited about exploring? How do you see your work evolving in the next few years?

I try not to plan for the future too much, as I can get too rigid and narrow-minded on specific plans, rather than letting creativity flow freely. This year, I’ve really enjoyed interviewing other creatives in my Meet Cutes series. Exploring other people’s creative processes and finding common threads is so fascinating and inspiring to me. Curating has also been of particular interest lately. I started a series of Unhinged Fashion Girls recommendations, and it’s been so fun to see how much people have resonated with those videos. It’s also allowed me to spotlight independent Canadian fashion in a big way, and I want to continue using my platform to uplift other Canadian creatives.

Lastly, we’d love to hear about any artists, creators, or works that have influenced or inspired you. Who or what is currently fueling your creative fire?

My friend Rachel Sudbury is an endless source of inspiration for me. She has created many of my red carpet looks. Her designs are so inspiring because they are unique and express such a rich inner world that Rachel beautifully conveys through her clothing. Film is always one of my biggest inspirations. I love film because it’s an amalgamation of all art forms — music, photography, fashion, makeup, performance, writing, and even furniture design in some films. When all of these elements come together, they create something entirely new. The beauty that emerges can be so transformative for me.

Follow @youthin.asia to see her latest fits!

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Read our interview with Bailey Grant, Fashion, Beauty, & Lifestyle Writer in our Speaking to Media series.